A Critical Review of Natural Gas Flares-Induced Secondary Air Pollutants

Application of material balance analysis (in one of our previous studies) to natural gas flare in the
upstream petroleum operations confirmed the emission of primary air pollutants in form of CO, CO2,
NO, and NO2 from “sweet” natural gas while “sour” gas emits SO2 in addition; incomplete
combustion may be an impetus for the release of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the
atmosphere from this same source. In this article, the significance of these gaseous emissions in the
formation of secondary air pollutants in the atmosphere is reviewed for the purpose of air pollution
control strategy. The goal is to describe the formation mechanism, to determine the influencing
factors in formation along with environmental impacts and to identify the required technological and
policy control approach for an improved environmental protection.